Tuesday, September 21, 2010

I thought this was going to be a "movie" with actors loosely portraying a story of a family struggling to heal their child. I was surprised to see that it was a documentary, that I was actually going to see the parents cart this ailing child to Mongolia.( Now before you families that have a child with autism, don't get mad at me, keep reading...I learn my lesson). Within the first 10 minutes Mr. Isaacson tells us this isn't that story, this is about the wonders of healing. It's about this little boy named Rowan and his amazingly strong parents. You will get to hear from fascinating experts on this neurological condition, with none other than THE Temple Grandin.

What I saw INITIALLY was two parents that don't know "tough love" (hey put that rock down! I tell you I learned my lesson!) but then when this child begins to "tantrum", if you can call it that, it was more like a breakdown in a physical and sensory way. This poor child writhed as if he was in terrible pain, and there wasn't anything the parents could do to help him. They were helpless.

Now here's where the lights started to glow, I then watched this father take his son on a horse ride. The child turned into a calm, peaceful, and happy little boy. The father talked of the surreal relationship his son had with animals, and they with him. Now you begin to figure out how Mongolia becomes part of the focal point of this documentary.

Mongolia, you see, is the birthplace of the duo of horses and people, there is evidence of horseback riding in this area dating back to approximately 2000 BC. Most horses that we have now are descendants of these smaller and hardy horses from Mongolia. Ever heard of Genghis Khan? Yep he did it all on horseback...(and he really wasn't such a bad guy, as long as you didn't try to hurt him or his family). So this hopeful father and mother take their child to Mongolia.Their intentions to help their child are pure. But watching the first Shamanic healing ritual, was wincingly traumatic to watch, proving that loving parents will do anything for their children. They complete their journey by horseback the last several days through the wild lands of that beautiful country.

I'm not going to ruin it for you, but I will say that he wasn't "cured", there will be no denying the child was greatly improved, as were his parents. My ignorance certainly was cured, and so will yours. Hopefully, we as a society can cure ourselves, by educating ourselves, learn to stop the judgemental tongue clicking and see that these children can become a benefit to us as a people beyond our imagination, we need to keep researching ways to help these individuals cope with their unique way of "looking" at things, make it less painful for them, more tolerable to function. Riding horses may not be the way for all of the little ones but it is a way for some and that is enough for me. You don't hear of all people forgoing the benefits of aspirin because some don't fair so well with it...do you?

What these parents did, by having faith and listening to their hearts, was to HEAL.

This movie had me so sad and weary in the beginning. Yet by the end there was a sense of triumph and joy-and of course, I did the ugly cry.

"Seven days does not a week make"....heard this before have you? I have too, this week hammered that statement on my body and brain, over and over. This week seemed so very long and I was DONE with it within the first two days.

My husband , is a firefighter, for LA County Fire Department. There was a fire near Sequoia National Park. The name or location isn't important so much as the terrain, which was mountainous and covered with brush from our wonderfully wet winter. The more brush, the more fire. The more fire, the longer he is gone, and I'm dealing with the first REAL week of homework, (after almost 3 months without any..can you imagine the whining?!) without any back up. My Chiropractor had minor surgery, so he was out of commission, and of course my back decided to follow his lead, my back then encourages my left leg to foster it's desire to practice Celtic dance- on it's own about 2:00 or 3:00 am accompanied by leg cramping after it's exertions. The children decided since Dad wasn't home, the threat of "When your Father comes home...blah blah blah" didn't carry the weight of fear it usually does.

So I was the single parent...which I've never wanted to be (I have the ULTIMATE respect for all those individuals who do are single parents and manage to raise lovely human beings. My hat is off to you ladies and gents...God bless you and your strength!) Now where was I....Oh yeah I was whining about me...Now Each of these occurrences,by themselves aren't any big thing, but combine them all in the same painful week, you get onespiky monster, such as the little one above. This monster is spiky and disheveled but it has a lovely friend who allows me to lament and she invited me and my monsters over for dinner, she even recited a Beatles song to me on Facebook, to remind me that I wasn't alone. I love you Lisa!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Mrs. Allen's Bus O'little Peeps

The kids and I put these little buses together for their teachers from previous school years and for our family friend who is a teacher too. Mrs. Allen wanted a note saying she was OUT of her little room of learning, so we put it together happily for her..
We used the "Miss Karen's School Bags" Svg kit, from Svgcuts.com but we only used the bus and it's parts for a one dimensional sign. Stickles on the O and Love for the rest. Thank you Mrs. Allen!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

I was originally going to post a monster...but school just started so I needed a full MONSTER free week before I could deal with more (even though he's pretty cute by my standards).

But this Bee came to mind when I looked at profile pictures on facebook and some of the funnest ones are when people are close and looking directly into the eye of the camera. I wanted to have a profile picture that was worthy of me, and color me purple but I couldn't find one that I actually felt a kinship with. There weren't any that could represent (thumping chest like I'm on the MTV music awards..you know the COOL people do that).

So I came up with this ample bottomed bee that resembles me,

you see?Notice how the eyes are a lovely shade of greento replicate me?The mouth, however, is much to small for me..my husbandwill attest to thee.

So possibly poetry is best left in the hands of the professional poets like.....like....um....other poetic people.

I used my new cuttlebug machine to emboss texture on her and I changed her shape slightly, to more of an oval for the project below, used some stickles on the key parts eyelashes, atennae tips, and cheeks, and voila a BEE as sweet as can BE. I divided and attached the layers via pop dots (this coming from my buddy Thienly, papercrafter extraordinaire).

Both mouths are included in the SVG file because my daughter had a conniption fit over the human like mouth, "Mom! Oh no that is just CREEPY! Give her a bee mouth..." whatever that was but the round surprised mouth is the one she deemed "uncreepy" and didn't cause her head to spin around.

**Now for my disclaimer...if you download the file and make something with it, now mind you it has to be amazing, I'll take the credit for it. If you make a million dollars off of your creation YOU BETTER SHARE dang it or I'll send Guido and daBoys after you. Or maybe I'll make you babysit after I give my kids a box of LUCKY CHARMS and orange juice....yah that's scary, isn't it? What kind of loon wouldn't part with a 1/2 mill to avoid that?! Anyhoo where was I....???...Oh yes..Remember that I suck at this papercrafting business and need all the help I can get, you know, to look like I have any talent.